The Lord God’s Message Through Hosea

1 This is the Lord’s
message that came to
Hosea son of Beeri. This message came
during the time that Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz,
and Hezekiah were kings of Judah. This was
during the time of Jeroboam son of Joash,
king of Israel.
2This was the
Lord’s first message to Hosea.
The Lord said, “Go, marry a prostitute* that
has had children as a result of her prostitution.
Why? Because the people in this country have
acted like prostitutes—they have been
unfaithful to the Lord.”

The Birth of Jezreel

3So Hosea married
Gomer daughter of
Diblaim. Gomer became pregnant and gave
birth to a son for Hosea.
4The
Lord said to
Hosea, “Name him Jezreel.* Why? Because in
a little while I will punish the family of Jehu
for the blood {he
spilled}
at Jezreel Valley.* Then I will put an end to the kingdom of the
nation* of Israel. 5And at that time, I will
break Israel’s bow at Jezreel Valley.”

The Birth of Lo-Ruhamah

6Then Gomer became
pregnant again and
gave birth to a daughter. {The
Lord}
said to
Hosea, “Name her Lo-Ruhamah.* Why?
Because I will not show mercy to the nation* of Israel any more. I will not forgive them. 7But I will show
mercy to the nation of Judah.
{I will save the
nation of Judah.}
I will not use
the bow or the sword to save them. I will not
use war horses and soldiers to save them. I
will save them by my own power.”*

The Birth of Lo-Ammi

8After Gomer had
finished nursing Lo-Ruhamah, she became pregnant again. She
gave birth to a son.
9Then {the
Lord}
said,
“Name him Lo-Ammi.* Why? Because you
are not my people. I am not your God.”

The Lord God Promises There
Will Be Many Israelites

10“{In
the future,}
the number of the people
of Israel will be like the sand of the sea. You
can’t measure the sand or count it. Then it
will happen that in the place where it was said
to them, ‘You are not my people,’ it will be
said to them, ‘You are the children of the
living God.’ 11“Then the people
of Judah and the people
of Israel will be gathered together. They will
choose one ruler for themselves. And their
nation will be too large for the land!* Jezreel’s day will be truly great.”

prostitute A
woman paid by men for sexual sin. Sometimes this
also means a person that is not faithful to God and stops
following him.
Jezreel This name in Hebrew means “God will plant seeds.”
blood … at Jezreel Valley See 2 Kings 9–10 for the story of
Jehu’s revolt at Jezreel Valley.
nation Literally, “house.” This might mean the royal family
of
that country.
Lo-Ruhamah This name in Hebrew means “She receives
no mercy.”
by my own power Literally, “by the Lord their God.”
Lo-Ammi This name in Hebrew means “not my people.”
their nation … land Literally, “they will go up from the
land.”

2 “Then you will
tell your brothers, ‘You
are my people.’ And you will tell your
sisters, ‘He has shown mercy to you.’”*

The Lord Speaks to the Nation of Israel

2“Argue with your
mother.* Argue!
Because she is not my wife! I am not her
husband! Tell her to stop being like a
prostitute.* Tell her to take away her lovers* from between her breasts.
3{If
she refuses to
stop her adultery,} I will strip her naked. I will
leave her like the day she was born.
{I
will
take away her people} and she will be like an
empty, dry desert. I will kill her with thirst.
4I
will have no pity on her children because they
are the children of prostitution.
5Their
mother
has acted like a prostitute. Their mother
should be ashamed of the things she did. She
said, ‘I will go to my lovers.* My lovers give
me food and water. They give me wool and
linen. They give me wine and olive oil.’ 6“So, I (the Lord) will block your (Israel’s)
road with thorns. I will build a wall. Then she
will not be able to find her paths.
7She
will run
after her lovers, but she will not be able to
catch up with them. She will look for her
lovers, but she will not be able to find them.
Then she will say, ‘I will go back to my first
husband (God).
Life was better for me when I
was with him. Life was better then than it is
now.’ 8“She (Israel) didn’t know that I (the Lord)
was the One who gave her grain, wine, and
oil. I kept giving her more and more silver
and gold. But the Israelites used this silver
and gold to make statues of Baal.* 9So
I will
come back. I will take back my grain at the
time it is ready to be harvested. I will take
back my wine at the time the grapes are
ready. I will take back my wool and linen. I
gave those things to her so she could cover
her naked body. 10Now
I will strip her. She
will be naked, so all her lovers can see her.
No person will be able to save her from my
power.* 11I (God) will take away all her
fun.
I will stop her holidays, her new moon feasts,
her days of rest. I will stop all of her special
feasts. 12I
will destroy her vines and fig trees.
She said, ‘My lovers gave these things to
me.’ But I will change her gardens—they will
become like a wild forest. Wild animals will
come and eat from those plants. 13“She served the
Baals.* So I will punish
her. She burned incense* to the Baals. She
dressed up—she put on her jewelry and nose
ring. Then she went to her lovers and forgot
me.” The Lord has said this. 14“So, I (the Lord) will say romantic words
to her. I will lead her into the desert and speak
tender words.
15There
I will give her fields of
grapes. I will give her Achor Valley as a
doorway of hope. Then she will answer like
the time she came out of the land of Egypt.” 16The Lord says
this.
“At that time you will call me ‘My
husband.’ You will not call me ‘My Baal.’* 17I will take away
the names of the Baals out
of her mouth. Then people will not use the
Baals’ names again. 18“At that time, I
will make an agreement
for the Israelites with the animals of the field,
with the birds of the sky, and with the
crawling things on the ground. I will break the
bow, the sword, and weapons of war.
{No
weapons will be left} in that land. I will make
the land safe, so the people of Israel can lie
down in peace. 19And
I (the Lord) will make
you my bride* forever. I will make you my
bride with goodness and fairness and with
love and mercy. 20I
will make you my faithful
bride. Then you will truly know the Lord. 21And at that time,
I will respond.” The Lord
says this.
“I will speak to the skies,
and they will give rain to the earth. 22The earth will
produce grain, wine,
and oil.
And they will meet Jezreel’s needs. 23I will sow her
many seeds* on her land.
To Lo-Ruhamah,* I will show mercy.
To Lo-Ammi,* I will say, ‘You are my people.’
And they will say to me,
‘You are my God.’”

you will tell your brothers … mercy to you
Or, “Say to your
brothers, ‘My people,’ and to your sisters, ‘You have been
shown mercy.’”
mother This means the nation of Israel.
prostitute A woman paid by men for sexual sin. Sometimes
this
also means a person that is not faithful to God and stops
following him.
her lovers Or “adulteries.” Adultery means not being
faithful in
marriage. God was like a husband to Israel. But Israel was
worshiping false gods—this was like a spiritual adultery
against God.
lovers This means Israel’s false gods.
Baal The Canaanite people believed that this false god
brought
the rain and storms. They also thought that he made the land
produce good crops.
power Literally, “hand.”
Baals False gods worshiped by the Canaanites in the land
where
the Israelites lived.
incense Special dried tree sap. Burned to make a
sweet-smelling
smoke, it was offered as a gift to God.
My Baal This is a word play. The name Baal also means,
“lord,
or husband.”
make you my bride Literally, “I will betroth you to me.”
I will sow her many seeds Jezreel, Lo-Ruhamah, and Lo-Ammi
are Hosea’s children. But the names also have special meanings. The name Jezreel means,
“God will plant seeds.” But Jezreel is also the name of a large valley in Israel.
This probably shows that God will bring his people back to Israel. Lo-Ruhamah means “She was not shown mercy,” and Lo-Ammi means “Not my people.”
Lo-Ruhamah This name in Hebrew means “She receives no mercy.” Lo-Ammi This name in Hebrew means “not my people.”

Hosea Buys Gomer Back from Slavery

3 Then the Lord said
to me again, “Gomer* has many lovers. But you must continue
loving her. Why? Because that is like the
Lord. The Lord continues loving the people of
Israel. But they continue to worship other
gods. And they love to eat raisin cakes.”* 2So I bought Gomer
6 ounces* of silver and
9 bushels* of barley.
3Then
I told her, “You
must stay at home with me for many days.
You must not be like a prostitute.* You will
not be with another man. And I will be your
husband.” 4In the same way,
the people of Israel will
continue many days without a king or a
leader. They will be without a sacrifice or a
memorial stone.* They will be without an
ephod* or a household god.
5After
this the
people of Israel will come back. Then they
will look for the Lord their God, and for
David their king. In the last days, they will
come to honor the Lord and his goodness.

Gomer Literally, “a woman.”
raisin cakes This kind of food was apparently used in the feasts that honored false gods.
6 ounces Literally, “15 {pieces}.”
9 bushels Literally, “1 homer and 1 letek.”
prostitute A woman paid by men for sexual sin. Sometimes
this also means a person that is not faithful to God and stops following him.
memorial stone(s) Stones that were set up to help people remember something special. In ancient Israel, people often set up stones as special places to worship false gods.
ephod A special coat worn by the priests.